3 reasons why we shouldn’t eat food
When most of us hear the word fasting, we immediately think of Jesus or Gandhi. We mistakenly associate fasting solely in a spiritual context. However, fasting is a great way to break addictions (other than food), the only way to truly cleanse our bodies and it is a great way to lose weight.
I partake in a 3-day fast once or twice a year. I would like to do this more often, but fasting takes a lot of energy, will power and time to complete.
I am writing this post to introduce my readers to the background and benefits of fasting as I will again refuse to eat food and drink anything other than water in the next few days.
I will be keeping a a detailed log of my experience here for all of you to see.
Ryan, why are you going to fast?
I fast for 3 reasons.
One, a water only fast is the ultimate way to cleanse the human body.
Digesting food requires massive amounts of energy from our bodies to complete. When we remove this energy intensive process, all of the energy that we would have spent removing nutrients and disposing of food, we will now use to heal our bodies.
Because food is not available for energy production in our bodies, we must obtain energy from somewhere to stay alive. When this starvation mode is engaged, our bodies use fat and muscle for energy. When this occurs, our bodies (again in their infinite wisdom) seek out cells that are damaged for energy. Leaving cells that are strong to carry out our bodily processes.
Second, abstinence from food results in increased mental clarity.
I enjoy meditating on a regular basis. When I am in a fasted state, my mind is free and clear and my meditations are very fulfilling.
Jesus Christ and Gandhi fasted regularly. Jesus fasted prove that he could overcome temptation from the devil. He also fasted many times to reassure and strengthen his faith in his God.
Gandhi fasted for many reasons. He once fasted for 27 days in protest of Indian civil rights in India (before India was its own country, it was ruled by the British). He also fasted regularly to gain mental clarity and direction from his God.
These two men are arguably the most profound humanitarians in human history. If they fasted for mental clarity and spiritual renewal, then there is something to be said about the power fasting.
Lastly, I fast because I love the taste of food.
I am positive that many people out there often eat without actually tasting their food (like me).
After abstaining from food for an extended period of time, the taste of food is out of this world.
In the book Fasting and Eating for Health, Dr. Joel Furhman brings forth evidence that argues when the body is in a fasted state, taste buds that are sensitive to sugar and salt actually regenerate and become more sensitive to those tastes.
As I mentioned earlier fasting is a great way to lose weight.
I am not promoting chronic withdrawal from eating food. That is what doctors call anorexia.
If you want to start a new lifestyle change, fasting before hand is a great way to get a fresh start.
If you fast solely to lose weight, then you will be sadly disappointed. Without a drastic change in your daily diet, the weight that you lost while fasting will be gained back in the days following a fast.
Other Benefits of Fasting
As I mentioned before, Joel Fuhrman wrote a book titled Fasting and Eating for Health. Within his book, Dr. Fuhrman recounts his personal experience with fasting. Joel was an world class figure skater. At the age of 20 he experienced a terrible injury to his leg. After a year of surgeries from the world's best surgeons, he was still unable to walk without pain. Fed up with drugs and surgeries, he sought the help of a doctor who specialized in fasting. After fasting for 46 days his leg was healed. One year later he placed 3rd in the World Professional Figure Skating Championships.
This is an example of the bodies amazing ability to heal itself. As long as we provide the opportunity for this to happen, the body will heal almost any disease or injury on its own. Dr. Fuhrman uses fasting as a treatment to cure arthritis, asthma, heart disease, high blood pressure and diabetes.
Personally, when ever I am sick or obtain a physical injury I fast. I give my body the opportunity to use all of its energy to heal itself.
Our bodies are genetically created to fast. Evolution has endowed us with the ability to survive extended periods of time without food. Living in the natural world for the last 1.94 million years has forced us to adapt to times of food abundance and times of food scarcity.
We are made to exist with periods of no food. However, in our modern system of cheap and abundant food, this bodily system rarely, if ever, is utilized.
I understand that this mode of healing comes as a shock to many of you. In a world where are televisions are flooded with advertisements for drug companies that "cure" every common ailment known to man, it is no surprise.
In truth, drugs to not "cure" any disease, no matter how small. Drugs only mask the symptoms. We tend to view the human body as that of a machine. Like a car, we believe that if we add something the machine, we will make it run better.
For example, if a cars gas lines freeze, we add a product to the gas that prevents it from freezing. However we are not solving the problem (living in a cold climate), we are only masking the consequences of living in a cold climate. As for the human body, if we come down with a terrible cough, we take NyGuil or some other drug to "make my cough go away". In reality drugs do no such thing. Does the cough come back? Yes. So it did not "cure" anything. We over look the fact that we are coughing for a reason. Somewhere in our bodies something has gone wrong and a cough is simply the bodies way of cleaning itself.
I will be fasting for 3 days. I'm not sure when I am going to start this, but it will be soon. I will fast for 3 days because fasting for a longer period of time should include a doctor.
Eating food is more powerful than most of us have ever realized. Embrace it.
- Ryan
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